Rug and method of making the same



March '7, 1939.. T, H LAK 2,150,023

RUG AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed March 25, 1938 .1 WWW 720177045 C/ac/f,

Patented Mar. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

This invention is directed to a rug and a method of making the same, and is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Serial No. 153,553, filed July 14, 1937, for Strand forming device, now Patent No. 2,112,395, March 29, 1938.

An object of my invention is to provide a new method for forming the pile on a home-made rug.

A further object of my invention is to make a pile rug having a deep, rich pile which can be made by a relatively unskilled person.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel means for forming pile strands of equal length. i

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for sewing the braid together with the stitches concealed from view.

A further object of my invention is to construct a braid in which the knots thereon are soarranged as to allow the braid to lie flat when bent as in forming the ends of a rectangular rug, or the convolutions of a circular rug.

Generally, these objects are obtained by forming a plurality of knots on two strands of twine, these knots being so formed to leave pile tufts projecting from the strands. The pile tufts are knotted close together and the tufted braid so formed is folded into parallel rows and sewn together to make a rug. I also provide means for wrapping worsted around a measuring device so that a plurality of equal length pile pieces can be obtained, which pieces are used to make the knots on the strands.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the description of the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a frame for hold- Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the manner in which the knots are formed when worsted is used:

Fig. 3 shows a sheet of material to be cut on the biasto form pile pieces.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the manner of tying knots using the material of Fig. 3 cut on the bias.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of yarn, worsted, or strands wrapped around a flat plate and out along one edge in order to secure equal length side pieces.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a rug in the process of formation showing the braid arranged in parallel rows and sewn together, and v Fig. 7 is a plan view of a circular rug in the process of formation.

In Fig. l, A represents the frame used to support the strands so that the pile knots can be formed thereon. This frame is the subject of my Patent No. 2,112,395, March 29, 1938.

On uprights B of frame A are supported balls of twine or strands of similar material C. Strands 2 and 4 from these balls are carried over spaced .5 tensioning means E and brought convergently toward the hook member F. On these spaced and convergent strand lengths 2 and 4 between the tensioning members E and the hook member F are formed pile knots 6.

The manner of forming pile knots 6 is indicated in Fig. 2. As shown, the midportion 5 of a piece of yarn is laid over top of the strands 2 and 4, the two ends of the yarn dropping vertically outside of the strands 2 and 4, respectively. The two free ends I of the yarn are then seized by the fingers and are brought up between thestrands 2 and 4 and the yarn is pulled toward the hook member F. This results in the knot 6 abutting up against the hook or against a previously formed knot so that the vertical portions 1 of the knot 6 are held tightly in place and form the pile.

This simple manner of forming a pile achieves numerous advantages in the particular manner in which it is formed as shown. In the first place, 25 by having the strand lengths 2 and 4 converging toward each other, a space is left so that the operators fingers can readily form the knot. In the second place, by having the strands 2 and 4 converging toward the hook F, as the knot is being tightened toward the hook F the convergency'of the strand lengths 2 and 4 allows a very tight knot to be formed, which is essential in maintaining the upright pieces I in their vertical position and to form a closely woven rug. After a number of knots 6 have been'made, a braid D is formed, and the braid is removed from hook F and the strands 2 and 4 are pulled through the tensioning means to provide new sections of strands 2 and 4 to have knots formed thereupon. Obviously the tensioning means E per se does not need to be used, as any tensioning means which will hold the lengths of twine 2 and 4 in tensioned and convergent relationship will be satisfactory, the primary requirements being that space be left so that the operators fingers can form the knots, and that the strands be convergent to permit the making of tight knots.

A plurality of pieces 6 may be used together to form a single knot, which hastens the formation of thelbraid and gives a thicker pile to the completed rug.

Fig. 2 has illustrated the use of common worsted or yarn for the formation of knots. However, it has been discovered that if a piece of fabric as 55 appearing product.

- shown in Fig. 3 is cut on bias lines G to produce bias strips 8, these strips will form very tight ,knots due to the elasticity of a piece of material cut on the bias. From Fig. 4 it is seen that the bias strips 8 are knotted exactly as are the worsted strips illustrated in Fig. 2, the only difference being in that the bias cut strips 8 form a tighter knot than is ordinarily obtainable with fabric strips cut parallel with either the weft or the warp.

It is apparent that the pile pieces 6 should preferably be of equal length,,or else the pile in a completed rug will be dimcult to be shaved which member may be cardboard or any other material. After the worsted has been wound to any desired length along the member I2, one end ,of the wrapped worsted is severed as by means of scissors N. This results in a plurality ofseparate pieces 6, all of equal length, which pieces are used as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

I In Fig. 6 the assemblage of the braid into parallel rows to form a rectangular rug is shown: The braid is shown with one end l6 fixed upon a rack or a board H, and this braid is bent around or hooked over another holding member at l8 and extended back parallel to the first length of braid. Successive rows of braid are similarly formed until the frame or rack H has been filled with braid. The adjacent rows of braid are sewed, or otherwise fastened, together before being removed from the frame, and thus a well formed rug with even ends and edges is removed from the frame. It is to be understood that the braid is substantially continuous, although a plurality of separate braids may be used, and that Q the braid may be completed in toto before being made into a rug, or the completed portion of the braid may be placed-on the frame H while the other end of the braid is being made on the frame A.

i A' novel means of sewing together theparallel braid portions which form the rug is shown in Fig. 6. Formerly it has been the practice to form the base of a rag rug by means of loop stitches, that is stitches which are taken through the braid and then over top of the braid opposite the pile side, so that the base of the rug showed at least one-half of each thread in a stitch. A new manner of stitching together rugs of this type is shown in Fig. 6, wherein the thread 26 is shown passed through parallel and adjacent braid portions back and forth horizontally and continually below the surface of the rug, the whole of the stitches thus lying intermediate the top and bottom surfaces of the rug. This method of sewing the braid together has the advantage in that the stitches are hidden from/view and are protected from wear, and thus giving a more durable, better It has been found from experience that the material readily lends itself to this manner of stitching, and that it is much preferred over the manner of stitching previously used.

7 acircular rug is shown in the process of making, the method of making the knots, and the In Fig. 6 a rectangular is shown. In Fig.

methods shown in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive. However, because of the fact that one of the strands 2 and 4 must Been a curve inside of the other strand and must therefore be a little shorter than the other strand, in order to make the strands lie flat to form a smooth and flat rug, it has been discovered that it is necessary to shorten in some manner the apparent or effective length of one of the strands. This can be accomplished by clasping the braid in one hand, and with the other hand pulling one of the strands, that is to say, either the strand 2 or the strand 4 after the braid has been formed and prior to winding the braid to form a circular rug. In other words, the strand actually is not elongated, but is merely pulled taut, while the hand grasping the braid prevents the loops, forming one pile piece or one side of the knots, on the pulled strand from .mov-

ing with said strand, and consequently these loops on the pulled strand are, shoved together or bunched more closely together than the companion loops on the unpulled strand. The braid is then wound to form a circular rug with the pulled strand having the bunched knots thereon always innermost. This results in the rug being maintained flat. It is noted that this means of making a flat rug surface can be, and is effectively used in bending the braid around the holding means I8 shown in Fig. 6.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A method of forming a rug which comprises placing two strands of twine under tension and in convergent relation, placing the mid-portion of a length of textile material cut on the bias over said strands and drawing the free ends of said material up between said strands to form a knot,,assemb1ing a plurality of like knots on said strands to form a braid, and then fastening said braid in parallel rows to form a rug.

2. A method as in claim 1, which further comprises fastening said braid in parallel rows by horizontal stitches lying entirely intermediate the surfaces of said rug.

3. The method of forming a flat circular rug comprising knotting pile pieces to two strands of twine to form a braid, manipulating the portion of the knots upon one of said strands in said braid a braid, winding said braid on a frame to form parallel rows of braid, and then fastening together adjacent rowsof said braid to form a rug. 5'. A rug comprising a braid composed of strands having pile forming knots tied thereon, said braid being laid with adjacent portions of said braid side by side, and stitches extending between adjacent braid portions entirely intermediate the surfaces thereof fastening said braid portions together to form a rug.

v 70 6. A rug comprising a braid composed of strands having pile forming knots tied thereon, said braid being bent and laid with portions of said braid adjacent each other, the portions of said knots onthe innermost side of the bend being bunched closer together than the portions of the knots on the outermost side of said braid whereby said braid lies fiat around said bend, and stitches extending intermediate the surfaces of and between said adjacent portions or said braid fastening said braid into a rug.

7. A method of forming a rug comprising the steps of withdrawing two strands of twine *from separate sources of supply, holding said two strands at a single point, gripping said strands frictionally between such sources and said point to hold them under tension, placing the midpoint of a length of pile forming material against said strands between such point and the place where they are frictionally gripped, drawing the free ends of such length of textile material around i and then between such strands to form a knot,

tening said rows with stitches lying entirely between the surfaces of said braid to form a rug.

8. In the method of making a braid for a-rug in which said braid is formed and fastened in side by side relation to form the rug, the steps consisting of drawing strands from freely unravelable sources of supply, holding the strands at a single point, frictionally gripping said strands remote from said point and between said point and sources of. supply to hold said strands under tension, placing the mid-point of a length of pile forming material against said strands between said point and thepoint of frictionally gripping, drawing the free ends of such length of material around and between said strands to form a knot, pulling said knot toward said point and into contact with a precedingly formed knot, and making a plurality of similar knots to iorm a braid.

THOMAS H. CLACK. 

